Thinking Money: Save, Invest and Protect Yourself from Fraud Seminar

Financial Capability Month is upon us! Join the experts from AARP, FINRA, the SEC, the Offices of the Insurance Commissioner, Secretary of State, and the Washington State Department of Financial institutions on April 26^th from 9:00 AM-2:15 PM for a free consumer education seminar.  

The seminar will cover:

• How behavioral biases and emotions impact your financial decisions
• Ways to make your money last
• How to spot the red flags in financial scams
• Steps you can take to achieve greater financial security

Space is limited so register early!

Call toll-free (877) 926-8300 or register online at

http://aarp.cvent.com/ThinkingMoneyWA

Money Smart Week April 18-25, 2015

Money Smart Week is here and underway! Money Smart Week was created in 2002 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. It is a public awareness campaign full of events that teach people how to handle their personal finances in a way that benefits them most. There are Money Smart Week events happening in counties all over Washington State. Here are just a few of the educational events that will be put on during the rest of the week:

• April 21st:
• "Kids & Cash" is a program that gives tips and advice to parents on how to talk to their kids about money and forming responsible money habits
• April 22nd:
• "Navigating Your Credit World" will teach you how to build, repair, and access your credit score                                                                                                     
• "We’re Talking Money!" is an opportunity to get one-on-one assistance with your librarian and explore all the financial resources your library has to offer 
• April 23rd:
• The "Online Banking" class will teach people how to safely and securely pay their bills online 
• "Establishing, Improving and Maintaining Credit" shows people how credit companies calculate credit scores and how consumers can use this knowledge to improve their credit score
• April 24th:
• "Be Money Smart!" is happening in libraries all over the state. This is a display with take-home financial information for consumers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs with information on loans, financial management, investing and job training
• April 25th: 
• "Cyber Theft-How to Protect Yourself" will be giving tips on how to keep yourself safe from identity theft and internet scams
• "Shred Day" is a great opportunity to get all your personal and financial documents shredded on the spot and keep yourself safe from identity theft
• "The Financial Family Fun Fest" is an event for the whole family with crafts for kids and free financial one-on-one signups for the adults.

These are only a few of the great events offered during the rest of Money Smart Week. To see the entire list of events, visit https://chicagofed.org/applications/msw_calendar/public.htm?campaign=14.

How to Check Your Child’s Credit Report

Identity thieves target children’s Social Security numbers because children have no credit histories and because fraudulent activity may go unchecked for years.

Learning that your child is a victim of identity theft is a frightening experience, so what can you do to prevent it?

 

Start by recognizing the signs that your child is a victim of identity theft.

 

Warning signs include your child receiving:

• Credit card offers
• Bill payment notices
• and even debt collection calls.

Parents may want to consider checking their child’s credit report to verify that they are not a victim of identity theft. You can contact any of the three credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com to request a credit report in your child’s name.

 

If you notice an error, dispute the error right away with the credit bureau.

 

Resource of the Week

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has excellent child identity theft prevention resources for parents.

 

• How to protect your child from identity theft (pdf)
• How to protect vulnerable children from credit reporting problems
• How do I check a credit report for a youth in foster care

  

Guide to Protecting Your Online Bank Account

October 2013 is the 10th anniversary of National Cyber Security Awareness month. Much has changed over the past ten years such as the emergence of social media, mobile banking, and cell phone payment systems.

It’s now more important than ever to take precautionary measures to protect your financial accounts from unauthorized access.

Here’s our updated step by step guide on how you can better protect your online financial accounts.

Terminate each session when you are done
It is important to terminate each online session when you are done with online banking. Usually this can be done by clicking the logout link on the website you use to access your account information.

Avoid using “remember me” options for online financial accounts

Using this feature may allow others who use your computer to access your online financial accounts. Never allow the browser to remember user names and passwords when using a public, shared computer.

Create hard to crack passwords
Use numbers, letters, and special characters if possible and change your password frequently. Microsoft has a great how to guide on creating strong passwords.

Microsoft: How to Create Strong Passwords

Avoid doing online banking from public WIFI
Hackers have the ability to install keylogging software on public WIFI networks. Don’t put yourself at risk, save online banking for home.

Keep your anti-virus and firewall software up to date
Your bank or credit union may even offer free anti-virus or firewall software.

Review your account statements frequently
Get in the habit of reviewing your financial account statements frequently Look for suspicious charges and report any inaccuracies or signs of fraud right away to your bank or credit union.

Check your credit report at least once a year
You can do this for free at www.annualcreditreport.com. Look for and report unauthorized transactions.

For more information and tips on how you can protect your identity and financial information, visit www.onguardonline.gov.

Protecting Your Child’s Identity

We always hear about steps to protect our own identity, but what about the identities of our children?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has steps you can take today:

Lock up documents
Keep all documents that show a child’s personal information safely locked up. What is personal information? At a minimum, it includes a child’s date of birth, Social Security number, and birth certificate. Don’t carry your child’s Social Security card with you.

Are You at Risk for Identity Theft? Test Your Identity Quotient

We hear about new tactics thieves use to steal our identities almost nightly on the news.  With all of this coverage, how are you doing in protecting yourself from identity thieves? Take this quiz from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse to find out.

New computer virus targeting your bank account

There’s a new virus hitting the internet that you should beware of.

The FBI has issued a warning regarding the “Gameover” virus that is designed to steal your bank account information.

The “Gameover” virus typically shows up in a spam email that appears to be from the Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA), the Federal Reserve Bank or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Tips on How to Prevent Spam Text Messages

Spammers for years have been targeting your email and now they are after your cell phone via text message.  Even more annoying, if you don’t have an unlimited text messaging plan, you may end up paying for these text messages.

Spam Laws
In 2003, Congress passed the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act, which makes it illegal to send unsolicited commercial e-mail messages to wireless devices, such as cell phones, without first receiving the consumer's permission.

How to Spot an ATM Skimmer

Theft from ATM skimmers costs $1 billion annually. Yes, $1 billion.

Watch this report from King 5's Get Jesse for tips on how to spot an ATM skimming device and what you can do to protect yourself.

Companies Affected by Large Data Breach Warn Customers to Beware of Fraudulent Emails

Companies affected by the Epsilon data breach are warning their customers to beware of fraudulent emails asking for their personal information.

On March 30, Epsilon clients' customer data were exposed by an unauthorized entry into Epsilon's email system.

The information that was obtained was limited to email addresses and/or customer names only. A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk.

BBB Reveals 5 Most Dangerous Places to Store Social Security Numbers

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has identified the five most dangerous places to store your Social Security Numbers.

The BBB wants you to know that while reports of identity theft decreased in 2010, "friendly fraud" is on the rise; the number of victims targeted by relatives, friends or roommates increased seven percent.

According to the 2011 Identity Fraud Survey Report by Javelin Strategy & Research, the demographic most affected by this type of fraud were ages 25 to 34; of these, 41 percent claim their Social Security numbers were compromised.

Protect Your Personal Information: The IRS Does Not Initiate Communications through Email

This tax season, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) wants you to know that they will not initiate taxpayer communications through email.

If you receive an email claiming to be from the IRS that requests personal information, do not reply, open any attachments, or click on any links. Forward the email to phishing@irs.gov and then delete the email.

All unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS should be reported to phishing@irs.gov.

For more information about protecting your information, visit the IRS’ website at http://www.irs.gov/privacy/article/0,,id=179820,00.html.

Don't Be Fooled By an ATM Skimmer - Tips On How to Protect Yourself

Nearly 90% of consumers surveyed in a recent poll by Wincor Nixdorf said they were unfamiliar with ATM skimming, indicating a need for education.

ATM Skimming - Defined
An ATM skimmer is a device attached to an ATM machine, or a fraudulent ATM machine altogether, used to illegally collect data from the magnetic stripe of your credit, debit, or ATM card.

The information, once copied, can be used by identity thieves to make purchases or withdraw cash from your bank account.

These camouflaged devices have been installed on bank ATM machines, gas station payment machines, and cash withdrawal machines at other public venues.

Step By Step Guide - What To Do If You're An Identity Theft Victim

Your identity has been stolen. What do you do?

The Washington Office of the Attorney General has compiled a comprehensive step by step guide that explains what to do if you’re a victim.

What To Do If You’re A Victim – Step by Step Guide

Even if you’re not a victim, it’s good to know what to do in the event your identity is stolen. Preparation and knowledge is always a good thing.

October 17-23 is National Protect Your Identity Week and each day this week we’ll be featuring a resource of the day.  

Guide to Assisting Identity Theft Victims

The Federal Trade Commission has created a guide to help attorneys and victim advocates provide legal assistance to identity theft victims.

The Guide for Assisting Identity Theft Victims describes how advocates can intervene with creditors, credit reporting agencies, debt collectors, and others, as well as self-help measures that victims can take.

Step-by-step instructions provide best practices for recovering from identity theft involving financial accounts, and incorporate victims’ rights under federal law.

The guide also covers topics such as tax fraud, student loan fraud, medical fraud, and more.

Guide for Assisting Identity Theft Victims (PDF)

October 17-23 is National Protect Your Identity Week and each day this week we’ll be featuring a resource of the day.

How to Find Free Document Shredding Events across Washington

Have a pile of sensitive documents that need to be shredded? Attend a free community shred event.

Communities across Washington host free shred events where residents can bring their documents to be shredded. Most shred events allow you to bring up to two file boxes or three grocery bags of documents.

Attend one of these free community shred events to keep your personal information out of the hands of crooks.

The Washington State Office of the Attorney General lists local shred events at http://www.atg.wa.gov/shredathon.aspx.

October 17-23 is National Protect Your Identity Week and each day this week we’ll be featuring a resource of the day.

Is It Necessary to Register Cell Phones on the Do Not Call List?

During identity theft presentations I give to the community, one thing I recommend audience members do is consider adding their name to the national Do Not Call register.

This is one way to stop unsolicited phone calls from potential scammers who may be seeking your personal information.

3 questions I'm frequently asked during these presentations are:
1) Do I need to register my cell phone number?
2) Do I need to continue re-registering the number?
3) Can I remove my number from the Do Not Call Registery?

I've pulled the answers to these questions from the Federal Trade Commission's  (FTC) website.  The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, collects complaints about companies, business practices, identity theft, and episodes of violence in the media.

Featured Resource - The Internet Crime Complaint Center or IC3 for Short

October is National Cybersecurity Month, so I wanted to feature a really great resource, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or the IC3 for short.The IC3 is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

The IC3 addresses and monitors crime committed on the Internet. The IC3 is a helpful resource for both consumers and law enforcement agencies.

Internet users who feel they are a victim of a cyber crime are encouraged to report their experience to the IC3 at http://www.ic3.gov/

Heading Back To School? Protect Your Identity While On Campus

August is right around the corner, which means it’s almost time for thousands of Washington students to head back to campus.

College campuses can be a breeding ground for identity theft. There are so many students, so many public venues, and so many opportunities to steal information. Before you head back to school, review the tips below on how you can protect your identity and personal information while on campus.

Tips

• Protect Your Laptop
  If you are taking a laptop on campus with you, protect it and the information stored on it. Set up a password that only you would know and change it frequently. Include numbers and special characters in your password. Be cautious when allowing others to use your laptop. You don’t want them snooping around your files. Also, make sure you have anti-virus and firewall protections in place. If you have questions about compatibility with the college computer network, check with the computer department on campus.
• Be Careful When Using Public Computers Or Wi-Fi Networks
  If you’re going to be using the campus computer lab or Wi-Fi network at the local coffee shop, think twice about doing such tasks as online banking and checking email. Identity thieves are notorious for installing key logging software on public computers and networks. Check with your campus computer department for more information on how you can protect yourself when using the public computers and networks.